thank you so much, jon karl. >>> and also in washington today, general john allen announced he's retiring. he will not be the next head of nato. allen had been ensnared in the general me trail yus scandal, you'll remember writing e-mails with a socialite in florida. though, he was cleared of any wrongdoing. allen says he is retiring because of family health issues. >>> and overseas now to syria, with abc's terry moran, who made his way into the heart of the capital, damascus, as rebels are trying to close in. and tonight, terry shows us the new normal there. mortars exploding near the presidential palace. terry? >> reporter: diane, life in this city under siege is surreal. it's traffic jams and business deals still being done while artillery fire and bombing raids punctuate the air, everything covered in a blanket of dread. people here in downtown damascus, they're still trying to carry on. but the war stalks them, edging ever closer. this evening, smoke billowed from a strike on the outskirts of the downtown. the suburbs are the battleground -- for now. so, this is the first one? earlier